Trace-fastener



(No Model.)

J. KITZMILLER.

TRACE PASTE-NEE.

No. 366,589. Patented m 12, 1887.

JNVENTOR A M. W

WITNESSES @f ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSIAH KITZMILLER, OF KEEDYSVILLE, MARYLAND.

TRACE-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 366,589, dated July 12.

Application filed November 16 1886. Serial No. 219,052. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;-

Be it known that I, J OSIAH KITZMILLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Keedysville, in the county of XVashing-ton and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TraceFasteners for Gockeyes; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figurel of the drawings is a representation of my invention, and is a perspective View of the same. Fig. 2 is a sectional View. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the draft-iron and button disconnected.

My invention relates to trace-fasteners for cockeyes; and it consists in the construction and novel combination of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A designates a singletree which is provided in each end with an axially bored or formed seat, B, in which seat the shank or tang Cof the draft-irons D are seated. Bands or ferrules E are shrunk upon the ends of the singletree to strengthen it at these points and prevent it from splitting under the strain that is brought to bear upon the draft-irons.

The draft-irons D are bifurcated or provided with open-end recesses F at their outer ends to receive the buttons G, which are provided with tapering shouldered heads H, and are pivoted between the arms I J of the bifurcations or recesses F by transverse horizontallydisposed rivets K, which permit the buttons G to be turned in their seats from horizontal to verlieal positions to permit the eyes L, or cockeyes, as the case may be, of the traces to be slipped to place to connect the traces M to the singletree, or to he slipped therefronrto disconnect or unhitch the traces. It will be observed that this shank D is provided with an annular shoulder, a, which abuts the end of the whi'flletree, and from this shoulder is an outward taper, b. By this taper it will be seen that the trace will be always kept against the inner side of the button or latch G, and consequently prevent the same from rattling or shaking, and hold the said button in a steady manner against the outerside of the trace. I attach importance to this feature of construction, as I am aware thatit is not new to pivot a gravity-latch in the fork of a drafthook and point or taper the same to receive the trace. It is obvious that the trace must be pushed sufficiently far off of the slotted portion of the draft-bar to allow the button or latch to assume a vertical position. Therefore, if it were not for the inclined portion I), should the operator neglect to draw the trace against the inner' side of the said latch to pre' vent it from turning or swinging on its pivot, it would allow the trace to fly oft and become disconnected. After the traces have been slipped to place on the draftirons D, the buttons are turned from the horizontal to the vertical positions, and the traces cannot become detached therefrom by accident.

To unhiteh the traces from the singletree, the buttons G must be turned from the vertical to the horizontal positions, at which time the traces can he slipped off. The heads of the buttons, being enlarged, serve as weights to hold them in the vertical positions, thus increasing the security of the fastenings.

Having described this invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

The combination, with the whiffletree and the draft-bar provided with the circt'unfercrr tial shoulder a and the outwardly-tapered portion b, and bifurcated to form the arms I and J, which extend inward to outer end of the tapered part of the traces, each provided with the series of openings or eyes L, by means of which the length of the trace can be adjusted, and the gravity-latch g, pivoted through its stem between the arms I and J, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSIAH KITZMILLER.

\Vitnesses:

Orno. F. Kuonn, JOHN BUCK. 

